Hopes of a first British winner since 2010 at the Fort William world cup downhill were ultimately crushed as America’s Aaron Gwin and Frenchwoman Emmeline Ragot tamed the Nevis Range.

British World Champion Danny Hart and Rachel Atherton both finished second on a weekend built on home-crowd expectation and the hope of a rainbow jersey on top of the podium, but the day ended with sometime exuberant fans left wounded, summarised as Marc Beaumont – last man down the hill and the only challenger left to world cup leader Gwin – was displayed as 18 seconds off the place at split one.

Upon that news many headed for the busses, already anticipating next year and what could have been, had Beaumont’s faulty rear brake been fully operational.

Twenty four hours previous Fort William held a different atmosphere as Marc Beaumont, Danny Hart and Gee Atherton qualified three Brits into the top three positions, while Rachel Atherton seemed closer than ever to taking her first ever home world cup after posting the fastest time.

These were acts of defiance against the dominance of Frenchwomen and Aaron Gwin who had seemed unstoppable and without weakness in 2012, until making multiple errors on a track he was finding it hard to adjust to.

Overnight however, there were changes. Rain transformed the track from sun baked and loose, to unpredictable but with more grip in many places. Rachel Atherton survived a crash in practice but was rattled, while Gwin was back in the zone having changed his bike setup completely and found a combination that would work.

In qualification, Rachel Atherton had passed Ragot who suffered a puncture, but one day on Ragot had set a time that withstood her country women and Tracy Moseley, with Atherton the final challenger.

Atherton’s form was great on paper, her last world cup win was seven days past but in different circumstance; Val di Sole had positive memories – that of a World Championship win in 2008 – whereas Fort William was a bogey track. And it showed.

In the following press conference Atherton joked she would save herself the long drive north next year as the result, after so many second places, was inevitable. What she said next – that the track was a huge physical test – told everyone, (including Ragot, sat to her left), that her thoughts had already turned to ways of winning in 2013.

The atmosphere in the men’s press conference was markedly different. Aside from Bryceland, who was celebratory after scoring his best result since finishing second in Mont Sainte Anne 2011, a mood united Gee Atherton, Sam Hill and Danny Hart.

It was likely also felt by Greg Minnaar – noticeable in his absence from the podium – and anyone else in the world cup ranks waiting for Gwin to give up the champagne and leaders’ garment.

On a weekend where the new dominant force in mountain biking showed weakness and fragility, he also showed resilience, not a trait many knew existed in his armoury. Hart summed it up best, when saying he did all he could, even bettering Gwin’s split on the lower, pedalling section, but to no avail.

With that admission made, Atherton and Hart could only thank the British fans who had made their annual pilgrimage and made the event, only reserving the comment that they too wished for a British winnier – any British winner – for next year. Not because it would sound arrogant, but because first they must find a way to stop Gwin winning.